Judah Maintains Mayweather Fight Should've Been DQ

Zab Judah says Floyd Mayweather should have been disqualified after their 2006 welterweight title fight turned into a brawl, and that boxing politics protected the undefeated champion's record.

Speaking on Andre Ward's podcast, Judah argued he won at least six rounds before Roger Mayweather jumped into the ring in the 10th. "If two men are fighting in the ring and somebody jumps in the ring at any time, it's an automatic DQ," Judah said, per Bad Left Hook. "Those are the real situations that happened in the fight that should've changed." Mayweather won by unanimous decision at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, but Judah maintains the outcome was predetermined.

Judah On Mayweather's Nevada Residency

Judah said Mayweather's exclusive contract with Nevada venues amounted to a residency deal that guaranteed favorable decisions. "He had a modern day boxing residency in Nevada saying he's not going to lose," he told Ward. "You stay on your feet, you good, we got you, you're going to win." The Brooklyn fighter said he was suspended for a year after the bout while Mayweather climbed the pound-for-pound ladder, making a rematch impossible by the time he returned.

The melee started after Judah landed what appeared to be a low blow and a rabbit punch behind Mayweather's head. Judah denied intent, saying both men were fatigued in the 10th and referee Richard Steele didn't know how to rule. "It was the heat of the moment," he said. "He didn't even know what to call." Judah said he won the first five rounds plus a knockdown, which would have made the fight a draw on the cards before the brawl.

Judah insisted Mayweather avoided a rematch because of the trouble he caused that night. "Regardless of whatever, they didn't want no rematch," he said. "They didn't want that to happen because Zab was getting in that." The loss remains Judah's only defeat to Mayweather, who improved to 37-0 and went on to retire 50-0 in 2017.

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• Bad Left Hook — ‘Should’ve been a disqualification’: Zab Judah reflects on infamous brawl in Floyd Mayweather fight